Part Two: Evolution
Chpt 14: Meet Midoriya
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Eijirō isn't necessarily a "smart" person. His quirk is dedicated to strengthening himself but only in the interest of becoming a wall. Getting stronger means sacrificing mobility and offense for defensive strength and stamina. Before, when he spent restless nights wondering how he could possibly save everyone, memories of Bakugō and All Might would play out in his mind. It stands to reason that he's curious about Midoriya, who put Bakugō and Todoroki down without even moving.
When he runs by the S-class dorm the morning after their meeting, he finds Togata-senpai instead of Midoriya.
"Sorry, Kohai! Midoriya is already out and about somewhere." Togata-senpai grins and claps him on the shoulder. "You looking for a sparring buddy?"
Eijirō remembers his last sparring session with Togata-senpai vividly, so he begs off and goes about his usual routine. When he gets back to the dorm, he finds the morning people of his class looking a bit off. One look at Ashido summons the pink girl to his side, but she points and…
Yaomomo is humming to herself while she makes herself breakfast.
They don't have school today. U.A. gave them the weekend off to adjust to moving into the dorms. And besides, Eijirō has never seen Yaomomo looking like this. Sure, it was easy to catch her smiling when they had study sessions, but never so early in the morning. Never out of nowhere.
She'd looked so down last night.
"No one knows." Ashido mutters. Eijirō shrugs and heads upstairs to shower.
When he finishes his shower, he finds a message on his cell from an unknown number.
[?]: Hello, Kirishima Eijirō, this is Monitor. There is a mutual acquaintance of ours that wishes to contact you. May I give him your contact information?
"That… Huh. I never imagined computers would have manners…" Eijirō blinks, then looks up at the ceiling. "Then again… Yaomomo is kinda like that, isn't she? Maybe super smart people are just like that."
[Kirishima]: A mutual acquaintance?
Eijirō blinks as his phone begins navigating on its own, replacing the unknown contact with Monitor's information. He can't help smiling awkwardly as the messaging app returns with newly programmed names.
[Monitor]: Nobutaka Kābā-kun
[Red Riot]: That would be great, actually. I was hoping to talk with him! Thank you, Monitor-san!
[Monitor]: I will share the information now. Have a nice day, Kirishima-kun
Eijirō blinks as the robot signs off. He doesn't get a message from Kābā until he's downstairs finding breakfast, but they take to it rather quickly. After apologies for the insanity of the previous evening, Eijirō finds himself extending an invitation for Midoriya's friends to come by the 1-A dorms. Instead, he ends up being invited over to the S-class dorms and told to bring whoever he wants. Eijirō can't help feeling a bit shocked by how quickly things are moving along.
Then again, they seem to have a handle on this "anomaly" stuff. Maybe this is just how things work for them.
"Hey, anyone want to come with me to visit the S-class?" Eijirō calls out. A few of his classmates are scattered throughout the kitchen, and nearly all of them make excuses when he asks. Only Yaomomo, Ashido and Tsuyu agree to come along, though Yaomomo seems kind of out of it as she walks with them.
"Yaomomo?"
"Tsu-chan?"
"You know Midoriya-kun, right?" Eijirō frowns as he listens to the exchange, but he doesn't comment. Midoriya is the one he's curious about, sure, but not so curious that he's willing to get between them.
"Somewhat," Yaomomo's happiness dims some, but there's some wistfulness seeping into her expression. "I tutored him for a month or so, but we weren't close. I only met Eri-chan once, and I never met his friends. Just his mother, Midoriya-san."
"Wait!" Ashido all but throws herself onto the taller girl's shoulder. "Wait, you knew about his crazy powers and didn't warn us?!"
"No, Mina-chan, I didn't know." Yaomomo's forcing that laugh, but she's still smiling. Eijirō isn't entirely sure what's going on, but if Yaomomo was a dude he'd say she was crushing on someone. Not that he knows anything about girls, especially not high-class girls. "Midoriya-kun never told me that he was strong. We didn't talk about his quirk. He did tear his kitchen table in half by accident once, though."
Eijirō grins when he hears that. One hand ghosts over the scar marring his eyebrow. The others are the same, though the flavor is different for each.
Yaomomo is the one to take the lead and knock on the door when they reach the S-class dorms, and Eijirō is glad to let her. The building is a lot bigger than the other dorms, and the people living inside are monst…
"Oh, Yaoyorozu-chan!" Eijirō blinks as a short woman with green hair and a bright smile answers the door. He hears the sound of running feet before he sees a little girl with white hair and eyes like his sliding into the doorway. "Welcome, everyone! I didn't know we were having more guests!"
The little girl squeaks the moment she sees Eijirō, Ashido and Tsuyu, darting behind the woman in the doorway and peering out from behind her with watery eyes. Eijirō blinks, then grins, but…
"Eri-chan?" Yaomomo is already crouching on one knee with her hands out, peering at the little girl behind the matron of the S-class. There's something different about her that Eijirō can't put his finger on, an air that he's never seen when Yaomomo deals with her classmates. "You don't have to be afraid. These are my friends! We're all training to be heroes, remember?"
"H-heroes…" Eri mutters, retreating back behind the woman's jeans some more. Her eyes drift to Eijirō briefly, and his smile draws another squeak before she looks over Tsuyu and Ashido.
"Don't worry, Eri. They're here to visit with everyone, why don't you go tell Izuku?" The woman runs a hand through the little girl's hair, then gives her a bit of a push and sends her scampering off into the dorm (not without a tiny wave at Yaomomo, earning another ear-shattering squeal from Ashido in response). "She's been excited to see you again, Yaoyorozu-chan. Don't worry about bringing friends, she's getting much better about crowds."
The two share a hug before the woman steps out and bows to them.
"It's wonderful to meet you all. I'm Midoriya Inko, Izuku's mother. I'll be managing parts of the S-class dorm at Principal Nezu's request." When she straightens up and smiles at them, Eijirō's heart tightens in his chest a bit. There's…
Midoriya-san feels warm. He flips through memories before he realizes that her smile makes him feel like he's coming home. Not to the dorm: this feels like returning home after a long day at school and finding his family waiting for him. It feels like smiles over a hot meal and hugs before bed. The sensation leaves him so dazed that when he comes to, he finds himself sitting on the couch as someone presses a glass of hot chocolate into his hand, taking the time to wrap his fingers around the cup.
"I was the same way," Yaomomo grins at him as Eijirō blinks and settles into the massive couch. She takes a seat on the arm of the couch and runs an eye over the room, but Eijirō still isn't quite capable of yanking his eyes off her smile. "Midoriya-san is a very special type of person, Kirishima-kun. Now you know why I was excited to visit…!"
Eijirō nods.
It's all he can do.
After a few minutes and some sips of hot chocolate, he finds the strength to look at the sitting room. What he finds is fitting: the room is massive and full of people. Three insanely large couches face one another to form a loose family area, but where Eijirō expects to find an armoire and a television he finds…
He's not entirely sure what that is. All he can see is a tower of white projections that flutter about like hummingbirds, forming a loose set of circles around something in the middle of the room.
"Oh hey, you're awake!" Nobu- (Eijirō shakes himself and smiles) Kābā grins as he extends a fist towards Eijirō. "I was starting to think you'd be taking a nap on arrival. Not that first time we've seen it, but I gotta say I was worried Izuku got his superpowers from his mom…"
"Eh?" Eijirō blinks.
Kābā is just a little bit shorter than Eijirō. He looks completely normal: short black hair and round glasses and a face that belongs in an accounting firm. Despite that he's got all the heft of someone who knows how to carry himself; those are some serious biceps under his t-shirt. Talking to Kābā feels kinda like talking to a dude at the gym, only Kābā is all the things Eijirō wants to be for his friends without the 'trying' part.
"Izuku wasn't always super strong. He was actually super weak like two years ago," Kābā says, glancing at the wall of holograms with a wry smirk on his face. "If Okāsan starts putting people in happy comas we would have to add another anomaly to the list and that would be… well, I guess having two overpowered green fluffballs wouldn't be too bad?"
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to, Izuku!" Kābā snickers as he puts his hands in the pockets of his gym shorts and turns back to Eijirō. "Anyways, it's good to see you guys again! Without the whole… machine uprising thing going on."
"You're taking after Midoriya-kun, Nobutaka-kun." Monitor's voice chimes in from the ceiling. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to my mother and siblings as an uprising."
"Sure thing, overlord!" Kābā waves a hand at the ceiling before he sits down on the tiles. "What've you guys been up to today?"
"Just breakfast and morning workout," Eijirō glances over to find Ashido and Tsuyu-chan swept up in the crowd of women on his left, leaving the three of them to their conversation. He glances up at the ceiling nervously. "I, uh, was going to drop by the gen-ed course dorms looking for you later, since I never got your number but…"
"Oh, yeah," Kābā huffs, then pulls out his phone. "If you ever need to find someone just ask Monitor. He's basically in control of the Japanese government and military at this point. U.A. is like housekeeping for him."
"Is that…" Yaomomo frowns and grimaces at the ceiling. "Is that safe?"
"We can't really stop him." Kābā shrugs. "Yaoyorozu-san, do you trust Izuku?"
"Eh? What does that have to do with anything?" Yaomomo reels as Kābā frowns.
"Well, Monitor is in control of the military and everything but Izuku knew about him way before he took over. Normally I'd say Monitor has the reigns, but then I badgered Izuku into turning over his newest regiment and the test results… needless to say we all live by the grace of the green fluffballs. But you're dodging the question, Yaoyorozu-san. Do you trust him?"
"I…" Yaomomo frowns, glancing at the web of projections and then over her shoulder at the kitchen. Eventually she stares at her hands and twists her fingers nervously. "We aren't strangers, but I'd say I trust Midoriya-kun."
"Hey, Kirishima-kun? Remind me to knock the back of Izuku's head later okay?"
"W-what?" Eijirō sweats, glancing back and forth between a confused Yaomomo and an irritated Kābā. "I don't think that's a great idea, dude…"
"Ah it's fine, I can't actually hurt him, it's just for good measure."
"I have saved the notice, Nobutaka-kun." Monitor calls.
"Thanks Monitor!"
Yeah, Eijirō thinks, they're just used to "fast" …
"Um, I've been trying to ignore it, but… what's that?" Eijirō's eyes linger on the wall of holograms that shifts around in the middle of the sitting room. There's more than enough space on either side to move around it but it does not subtract from the massive size of the projections.
"Oh, that's Izuku." Kābā grins. "He's got a pile of notebooks as tall as Yaoyorozu-san in there and he's been digitizing them since he got back from meditation this morning."
"We can't shake him out of it once he gets deep enough," The short girl with the eyes pops into the gap between Eijirō and Tsuyu-chan, giving them a wide smile. Eijirō's eyes linger on the greens and oranges rippling through her irises before he shakes himself and tries to be more polite. "He's been at it for hours now."
"Ah, Tachibana-san, right?" Eijirō smiles nervously, knowing that there's a very tall, very angry woman who was ready to fight Bakugō for this girl somewhere in the room. "He does this a lot?"
"Mmhmm!"
Tachibana is kind of like…
Eijirō blinks as he realizes that no one in U.A. really looks normal. Midoriya's friends by comparison don't stick out much, and he can't tell most of their quirks offhand save for the girl with horns and Tachibana's vivid irises.
Tachibana is average height and looks vaguely like Jirō, though her hair is black like Yaomomo's and she's got it down to her shoulders. She's really pretty, though her eyes keep sucking Eijirō in and he's not really sure if he's sweating because she's cute and she's smirking at Yaomomo or because imminent death awaits him at the hands of her… friend(?).
"So, Yaoyorozu-san?" Tachibana smiles up at Yaomomo and a shiver runs down Eijirō's spine. Apparently, he was afraid of the wrong one. "What are your intentions with my son?"
"Your what?!" Yaomomo is red. Like almost as red as Eijirō's hair Red. "My WHAT?!"
"Hey, Konomi! We were supposed to wait till we had her in the circle! You're doing it all wrong!" Kābā's grin says he doesn't mind at all, but he's not helping. Yaomomo is looking between the two like she's going to combust.
"I-I'm not sure what you mean!" Yaomomo is hiding behind her hands now. She almost looks like she wants to cry, but the massive blush on her face makes the truth obvious. "I only tutored Midoriya-kun for a month!"
"So we heard," Kābā chuckles. "I think you got her, Tachi-chan. Let's not push it too far."
"Nerds." Tachibana rolls her eyes as she stands up, but her smile softens a bit as she reaches out and extends a hand to Yaomomo. "I really do want to get along, Yaoyorozu-san. Izuku is very dear to me, so take care of him?"
"I… I really don't think this is appropriate…" Yaomomo shakes her hand anyways. Eijirō sighs as he watches the two head towards the kitchen, chatting quietly.
"She'll be fine, promise," Kābā settles onto the arm of the couch once they're gone, and Eijirō grins up at the boy in response. "So, how's the famous class 1-A doing this morning?"
"Well… You guys kind of blew us out of the water last night." Eijirō sighs. "Honestly, I'm still not sure about this whole 'anomaly' situation. But I can't deny that Midoriya beat Todoroki and Bakugō, so…"
"Welcome to the new world, Kirishima-kun." Kābā looks at the holograms in the middle of the room with a small frown on his face.
"But, more than that, I wanted to get to know you guys. You seem cool, and you've got a handle on all this already… er, it seems like it anyways…" Eijirō chuckles. Kābā smirks at the way he says it.
"Well, you're not wrong. But mostly we just hang around Izuku, so I can't tell you about Bakugō or that blonde guy hanging around Melissa-san. We're just friends."
"What's wrong with making more friends!"
"That's the spirit, Kirishima-kun!"
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Katsuki frowns as the Doc twists another bolt just a bit too tight.
His body is still torn to shreds from his fight with Deku, but it didn't stop the doc from dragging him down to the lab and bolting him onto a medical bench for repairs. The pink and goldilocks duo have an upgrade ready, thank fuck. Katsuki doesn't want to spend too long in this gods-forsaken laboratory. Everything in the room is watching him.
"You're an idiot, you know that." The doc says under her breath. "You could have died."
"I didn't."
"You should have."
"You've got me strapped to a bench, doc. Go ahead and finish me, if you think you can." Katsuki mutters.
"That's not the point."
"Fucking enlighten me then." Katsuki growls as she pulls on another bolt hard, then loosens it to where it's supposed to be. He can feel a shudder running through the parts as it comes together, ice and fire dancing along the framework and phantoms of missing parts. Either the thing is coming alive or getting sewn up, he isn't sure which it is.
"Figure it out if you're so smart." The Doc stands up and sets a ratchet on the bench. Her hair is pulled back in a braid courtesy of the little girl droid, but a few loose strands are loose and getting into her eyes. Fresh memories of blue fire and a midnight blue sky roll through his mind as the doc glares at him, but neither of them are as vivid as the blue in her eyes.
She only ever hesitates for a moment before she looks away.
Katsuki watches as machines shift a metric ton of machinery and tools through the hands of the pink maniac before he runs an eye over the small blue and green toolbox that the doc is using to work on him.
She always does the work herself.
He wonders if she knows how much he appreciates that, or if it's simply because she's a perfectionist. Part of him thinks he should thank her, but he throws the idea aside.
She's smart enough to know.
He'd probably fuck it up anyways.
The world stutters in and out around him as he lays his head back, but he stays in the moment once the doc returns. Only when she looks up at him again does his control waver.
She can't see the rivers or the star-bright flecks of silver in her eyes.
He takes the broken seconds when they lock eyes to pay attention.
If he calls it training, will she believe him?
Could he force himself to believe it?
"Oi!" He grinds his teeth as she connects the first of the new turbines in his forearm, yanking against the restraints keeping him tied down to the table. When she narrows her eyes and bends further over his arm, he falls back against the table with a soft thunk.
"Quit staring." She mutters.
"Hurry up then!"
"Idiot."
Katsuki shuts his eyes and lets a breath hiss between his teeth, but without his eyes he can't ignore the lingering aches where ice invaded his flesh. He can't shake memories of green apathy, blue flames and midnight skies.
The arm whines faintly as the turbines are laid in and the doc bolts on the plating.
He does his best not to think of Deku.
He ends up thinking of the Doc instead.
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Izuku sighs as he puts down the last journal and grins at the floating projections.
"Truly an impressive amount of work, Midoriya-kun. I will save them in your local file and restrict the administration data so that it won't be deleted. Also, it will be sent to your tablet."
"I don't need a tablet, Monitor, I really prefer pen and paper." Izuku stretches, feeling his back pop far too many times for his liking, then getting the same from his arms and legs.
"Mother was so excited for you all to receive those gifts, Midoriya-kun. I'd prefer it if you at least tried."
"Appreciate it. You'd appreciate it."
"Elaborate."
"Just humor me."
"I'd appreciate it if you did your best to try the new tablets that Mother provided for the student body."
"I'd be glad to, Monitor."
"I'm not sure if you're too blunt or not blunt enough, Midoriya-kun."
"This is new territory for everyone, Monitor." Izuku sighs. "Aaaanyways, thanks for help storing my journals."
"I've already looked over them. Your analysis skills rival most of the analysis found online for any given hero in the profiles." Monitor's shutter clicks through the communicator resting in Izuku's ear. "I've appraised my profile of you, Midoriya-kun. You might in fact be a research subject worth keeping."
"This… this is why we think you're going to take over the world, Monitor." Izuku sighs. "So, uh, how do I…?"
"We can program nonverbal commands into the module, if you'd like. Or I can collapse them myself."
"Um… Actually, it's a bit silly but… How about this?" Izuku's hands rise into the air, twitching as he hides a smile from the projections hovering around him. "Follow my hands from this position. Save the command to my interface."
"You've been brushing up on your terminology."
Izuku doesn't bother gracing that with a response. Monitor is just about the only person who knows that Izuku doesn't sleep nearly as much as he used to. Besides, he's a bit excited for this.
The wall of windows twitch as he moves his hands outward. With a giddy laugh, he throws up his hands, surrounded by a bubble of his old profiles and research notes. Projections fade as they reach the walls and pass 'through' them, stretching the entire length of the room before Izuku claps and compresses the entire thing into a green folder with "Midoriya's Notes" etched into the front in pink block letters.
"That's so cool…" He grins and twists his wrist to hide the folder, then turns around and finds an entire crowd of people staring at him.
"Having fun?" Daisuke grins at him from the couch, as do all his friends… and several people from 1-A.
"Uh… sorry, just…" Izuku points at the ceiling, expecting that to answer everything, then realizes that his notebooks are at his feet, and they aren't even sorted. His blush grows a little bit warmer when he snatches them up and glances around the room. "I'll be right back!"
"Hey, I wanted to…" Izuku has already slotted the notebooks into his shelf and returned before Tachibana can finish her statement. "…read those…!"
"Nope." Izuku claps his hands and smiles.
"But…?"
"Nope!"
"Just have Monitor forward them to you." Kābā calls. Izuku blinks when he notices the boy locked in an arm wrestling(?) contest with the spiky red-haired boy from 1-A.
"Midoriya-kun has created an account with special privileges, sadly. I do not have access to anything save for certain instructions concerning his saved information." Monitor chimes. "I promised Mother and Melissa that I would respect his privacy."
Tachibana frowns at him. Izuku shrugs.
"When did everyone get here? Why didn't you tell me!"
"We did, you were too deep in your notebooks. There was already a wall." Hanamura-senpai smiles and waves. Erin-senpai is already deep in conversation with Ashido about skin care of all things, if Izuku is hearing right, but Daisuke seems caught between Akiko and Hanamura-senpai.
"Sorry guys." Izuku sighs, then blinks as he catches sight of a familiar black ponytail waving across in the kitchen. "Er, is someone else…?"
"Midoriya-kun." Izuku blinks as the green haired girl from 1-A puts a finger to her chin and catches his attention.
"Hello?"
"Call me Tsuyu-chan."
"O-oh… okay? You can c-call me Izuku…?" Izuku blinks as she croaks. She's sitting cross-legged on the couch between Erin-senpai and Akira, dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. What catches Izuku's eye is the fact that her legs are keeping the sweatpants taught, which can only mean…
"You don't have to if you don't want. Take your time." Tsuyu-san says. "What's your quirk?"
The atmosphere in the room shifts. Izuku sighs.
He should probably get used to that question, but he just can't. There's some part of him that's been beaten up about it for so long, some small edge lingering in his heart, that makes it hard to answer. Maybe he doesn't have to worry about actually being quirkless anymore, but now he has to worry about being quirkless AND stronger than everyone on the planet (as far as he knows).
If he was any younger, he might slip into shatter speed and take a few breaths. But that's a bit immature, and his mom keeps telling him to work on how he approaches this. Kurobayashi-sensei agrees that, even if it's not fair, he has to deal with it.
"I'm quirkless," Izuku says, reaching down to catch Eri as she runs around the couches and throws herself at his leg. "That's why I'm an Anomaly."
"What can you do?" Tsuyu-san asks. Izuku smiles as he pulls Eri up onto his shoulders.
"I work out a lot."
"So, you're strong?" Tsuyu-san croaks. Izuku nods as his friends laugh. "You're like All Might."
Izuku has to take another deep breath. A wave of negative thoughts and sensations rushes through him and his muscles ripple, discarded as thoroughly as possible when he breathes out and turns his eyes to the floor.
Remember, clarity… Deep breaths, Izuku.
"I don't think anyone can be like All Might," Is what he says. He can't help saying it quietly, and clearing his throat some, but he manages to meet her eyes as he says it. "But yeah, we do things the same way."
"Izuku already beat All Might...!" Kābā crows as the boy from 1-A shakes out his hand and acknowledges defeat. "Man, Kirishima-kun, you've got a mean grip!"
"Didn't stop you! What do you DO to have arms like that…?" Kirishima-san mutters, watching Kābā pull up a sleeve to flex.
"I'm an artist in my spare time, but honestly it was Izuku's coaching."
"You mean Kurobayashi-sensei…" Izuku tries to head it off, but he's too late. Shimmering red eyes lock onto him like laser guided weapons, and Izuku would hold up his hands in defeat if those hands weren't wrapped around Eri's ankles. "I didn't really do anything!"
"Can you teach me some tips!" Kirishima-san is already over the couch (how?!) and in front of him, fists white as he looks down at Izuku with sparkles floating in the air around his eyes.
"Er…" Izuku's eyes linger on the flashes of light before he decides it must be a trick of the light and focuses on Kirishima-san's face-
( "What the hell was that light? I thought his quirk got him hard?" Erin points at Kirishima and turns to Ashido, earning a shrug.
"One of our classmates does that too, we've gotten used to it honestly…"
"That… that's normal?"
"Welcome to U.A."
"Fuck there's more…?!" )
-with the best smile he can muster.
"Kirishima-san, I'm really not the best trainer…"
"You should get used to giving them lessons, Midoriya-kun." Kurobayashi-sensei calls from the kitchen. With Eri on Izuku's shoulders he can't slump, but he really wants to slump right now. This feels like a slump worthy moment. "I planned to have you give lectures on controlling and fine tuning their quirk outputs when we start mixing the S-class and Heroics training classes!"
"Sensei…!"
"Don't complain, Izuku," His mother smiles at him over her teacup. "They already asked me, and I gave permission for you to be a student teacher like Mirio-kun. I wouldn't trust anyone else."
"No one asked me." Izuku grumbles.
"Er, Midoriya…" Kirishima-san can pout, and it's adorable. Which is dangerous. He's already brighter than most people Izuku knows, and Izuku is still getting over the fact that everyone he meets is supernaturally attractive for some reason. "If you don't have time or you aren't comfortable with it, you don't have to."
"Kirishima-san, right?" Izuku smiles, though he knows it's probably not a very happy smile. The redhead nods, grinning with shark teeth (Quirk? Quirk) and pumping his fists. "It's no trouble. When did you want to work on it?"
"I'd love to see you in action if I could?" Kirishima-san scratches the back of his head and shows off a wide grin. "We didn't see much when you fought Todoroki-kun and Bakugō."
Izuku frowns, but he doesn't ask either of the questions that pop into his brain.
"Well, that's easy enough. But we should go out onto the lawn." Izuku stops, then frowns. "…Maybe then backyard would be best, actually."
"You gonna tear something up, Izuku?" Daisuke is already on his feet. It's been a while since they worked out, but Izuku can tell the difference in the other boy's physique.
"No one is breaking anything. I'm just gonna give Kirishima-san the same tips I gave you guys." Izuku sighs. "Eri, can you go sit with Mom for a bit? We're going to go out back."
Eri wraps him in a big hug before she runs over to the table. Izuku isn't quite upright when he sees Yaoyorozu-san stand up and turn.
She's dressed in a casual t-shirt and gray pants with her hair falling from a messy ponytail. Her smile wanes as they finally make eye contact for the first time in… what, a month? More? If he blinks, he can read her message from early morning on the back of his eyelids, but that would involve taking his eyes off her.
He can't think straight looking at Yaoyorozu out of uniform for the first time.
"M-morning… I mean, good morning Yaoyorozu-san." Izuku swallows, scratching the top of his head as her smile widens a touch.
"Good afternoon, Midoriya-kun," Yaoyorozu-san calls. "May I join you? I never got many details on your power."
That should probably hurt. Instead of feeling any kind of backlash, Izuku feels like he's going to puke butterflies and rainbows. Showing anyone what he's capable of is nerve wracking but up until now he's held onto the hope that he might have a normal friendship with Yaoyorozu-san.
Instead the author seems determined to make him show off as often as possible.
This isn't even showing off anymore! Izuku mutters behind his frozen smile. This is extortion!
"S-sure, I was just going to give Kirishima-san some tips…"
"Cmon, Midoriya! You can call me Kirishima if you want, don't be so formal!"
"He's just like that, Kiri-kun. Forgive him, but he's chronically awkward. The doctors can't save any of us from it."
"Seriously? Wait, you all call him Izuku!"
"He's known Tachi-chan the longest and he won't even call her by name." Kābā snickers, dooming Izuku to yet another emotional rollercoaster. "He's supposed to officiate the wedding, you know?"
"I am not!" Izuku mutters. "Can we just…?!"
"You're definitely officiating, Izuku!" Tachibana-san chirps from the couch, grinning from beneath Sokuchi-san's arm. "Who wouldn't want a minor god to make their marriage official?"
"Is that a short joke?"
"Now it is."
"We have guests, Tachibana!"
"Oh hush, you're cute when you blush Izuku."
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Kābā isn't a mean person. He doesn't think any of his friends are mean people, per se, but he can't help but get a bit of a thrill when people go toe to toe with his best friend. Everyone agrees that it's amusing. No one really understands what he's capable of, and yet people get so hung up on the "quirkless" thing. You can see it on their face as they step up to face off, or in the way they watch him move.
Izuku is an interesting person. He takes his time more often than not, but over the months that Kābā has known him he's lost most of his stutter and gotten a bit more space-y. They'd all wondered about it until confronting him about his true powers. Knowing that Izuku exists at normal speed for his own amusement adds a layer of hilarity to things like this.
The kids from class 1-A got a firsthand demonstration, but that obviously wasn't enough. Kābā can see the familiar wrinkle in their foreheads and the casual indifference to Izuku's presence that only strangers have.
Behind the dorms is a strip of land laid between U.A.'s forest and a row of trees that Kamui Woods was brought in to help with. It's decently sized, but relatively small for Izuku's purposes at first glance.
"Okay, uh… So what do you guys want to know?" Izuku asks quietly. He's smiling like an idiot, but that's a good question. Only Kiri-kun asked anything of him, and if things hadn't progressed this way Izuku probably would have taken the guy out on his morning routine to keep it quiet.
Instead he's standing in front of four 1-A students, wearing a windbreaker and sweatpants to hide his raw physical presence from the newbies.
Kābā almost feels bad. He doesn't, but it's really close. Everyone who knows Izuku agrees that he needs to show off a bit more, though his humility is one of the things that makes him so endearing.
"I'm pretty curious how you knocked Bakugō around last night!" Kiri-kun pumps a fist, looking more like a friendly shark than a heroics student. Somehow, he looks cuddly. Maybe it's the hair.
"I can't show you that…" Izuku waves a hand as Kiri-kun's expression begins to wither. "I mean, it's not physically possible, Kirishima-san! That wasn't technique, I was moving too fast…"
"I've seen All Might move like that, but you could tell he was moving," Ashido frowns and bobs side to side as she stretches her arms over her head. "Are you really faster?"
"I… Like I said, I can't show you because that's how…" Izuku scratches the back of his head as the pair exchange a look. "You don't have to believe me. I understand it's a lot."
"Just take off your shirt already!" Erin-senpai yells. Kābā grins as Izuku erupts in a neon blush, then shakes himself.
"C-can we just… Um," Izuku frowns, then taps his lip and starts thinking. He ditched the muttering habit a while back, thankfully, but Kābā can almost hear the thoughts turning in his friend's head. The pillar of projections from before is the best comparison Kābā has to what goes through Izuku's head: rapid fire ideas connected by the thinnest strings possible, possibilities tested and discarded at nearly predictive speeds. Part of Kābā thinks that Izuku is like Junichi, but he's too fast to actually compare the two anymore.
"Hey! Yaoyorozu-san!" Konomi leaps up and flies to the girl's side, whispering her idea before Izuku can process what's happening. Yet another downfall of being a god with social awkwardness: the hesitation trumps his teleportation, somehow.
"I can't just…!"
"But you saw, right? You know what he was doing with those two idiots last night!"
"I… that can't be right, even if it is I would never…"
"Trust me, it's fine! This way everyone gets what they want!"
"Who is everyone?!"
Kābā grins as Yaoyorozu frowns and hides behind her hands again. They long since made up their mind to help Izuku out with this, but Konomi is probably the most active on Izuku's ship.
Eventually, Konomi wins out. There's a hush as Yaoyorozu steps out of the line and a glow erupts from her hand. Kābā's eyes flit towards his friend and watch as he remains seemingly motionless for the duration of Yaoyorozu's Creation. When he catches Izuku's eyes widening, he glances back and finds the brunette with a pistol aimed at Izuku's chest.
The gunshots are some of the loudest snapping noises Kābā has ever heard. It makes his ears ring and leaves him with a headache, and he has no idea why the girl's ears aren't bleeding until she hesitantly pulls earplugs from her head.
"What the HELL, Tachibana!" Izuku whirls on the girl with real anger in his eyes, fists clenched… one hand clenched around the gun itself, actually. Kābā blinks and glances back at Yaoyorozu, who's equally confused.
"What?! It proved your point!" Konomi giggles, then winces as she rubs her ears. "I honestly didn't think gunshots would be that loud…"
"You've heard them before, that's no excuse," Izuku huffs. "Why does everyone have to shoot me? It's bad enough when the bad guys do it."
"Wait… What?" Ashido blinks. Izuku rolls his eyes, then holds up his free hand and casually starts juggling three pieces of metal. Nobody dares question his speed NOW, but the 1-A kids aren't de-sensitized to the 'Anomaly' business yet so they can't question anything, let alone respond to the complete lack of self-preservation.
"I'm…" Yaoyorozu-san gets her voice back first, but she's still trying to process the reality. Having their weapon taken in fractions of a second will do that to anyone, Kābā guesses. After watching Izuku disappear between breaths a few dozen times Kābā doesn't really think much of it anymore. "But you…"
"I told you he'd be fine Yaoyorozu-san!" Konomi chirps, much to Izuku's chagrin.
"You guys are getting way to casual about putting my life on the line."
"It would just bounce off you anyways." Kābā snorts.
"It's the principle, Kābā!"
"You are like All Might." Tsuyu croaks. Izuku looks away and frowns.
"Midoriya-kun's records are…" Monitor calls out from Izuku's pocket, only to be cut off by the man himself.
"Monitor, please. Don't."
"…As you wish." Izuku smiles at 1-A without a shred of happiness on his face.
"Since we've got that over with… Uh, I wanted to ask for permission to look into your files for your quirks? Since Kurobayashi-sensei is going to have me helping our sensei, I think it might help out…" Izuku is perfectly bashful somehow. Kābā sighs. He knows that they'll get an earful later for pushing his boundaries (the gun was a little insensitive, Izuku has a complex about getting shot specifically) but Konomi had the right idea. Demonstrating is always the hard part.
"That's… yeah man. That's fine." Kiri-kun looks like someone slapped him.
"And Kirishima-san, if you want you can come with me to work out tomorrow?"
"Y-yeah, I'd appreciate some tips."
"Great!"
"Can I come?"
"Sure, Tsuyu-san."
"Call me Tsuyu."
"R-right…"
"You're not even gonna toss any of them around? What did we come out here for then?!" Erin-senpai cries, much to Hanamura-senpai's amusement. Izuku just sighs.
"Because there's a child in the dorms, Erin-senpai."
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Eijirō isn't sure what to expect from working out with Midoriya. He's seen the guy move teleport a lot, but there's not much to be said for his actual strength, or his lifting skills. Kābā-kun insists that Midoriya is the guy to go to, so Eijirō is trusting him. As it happens pretty much everyone from 1-A save for Mineta, Kaminari and Todoroki is interested. The girls bow out because none of them want to get up early and deal with the guys, though Uraraka does volunteer to come along.
Which, again: Kirishima doesn't know what to do with that. Uraraka is super manly. He just has to remember that.
People aren't always human at five am, so around seven people show up. Eijirō grins as Uraraka, Shoji, Sato, Tokoyami, Hagakure and Ojiro all follow him out of the dorm. Midoriya, Kābā, Bakugō and Togata-senpai are all waiting for them just outside, which leaves them… way over the number Eijirō actually expected.
"It's not often Izuku actually takes people with him when he works out," Kābā explains. "There would have been more but Konomi asked me to video tape your reactions and take some pictures of Izuku, so most of our group stayed in bed."
Eijirō isn't sure what Kābā will be taking pictures of, but he assumes that it's something of a running joke among Midoriya's friends. He has to assume that his reaction to Midoriya catching bullets and taking a handgun from Yaomomo at light speed was pretty funny, in hindsight.
"So, uh, what exactly are we walking into?" Eijirō asks. Kābā grins and claps him on the shoulder.
"Izuku is probably gonna do his best to tailor his calisthenics routine to each of you. Just accept that you won't ever reach his level and you might hold onto your sanity." He cackles a bit as he jogs to catch up with Midoriya. Eijirō wonders how long Kābā tried to keep up with Midoriya. None of Midoriya's friends seem… sane. But that's not really fair, so Eijirō chalks it up to them being extra manly and friendly!
Midoriya leads their group to training ground Gamma, of all things, and has them spread out. Bakugō joins the group who aren't familiar with Midoriya's routine at Midoriya's request, though he bites out something along the lines of "fucking kill you for this, Deku" as he takes his place. Eijirō eyes his prosthetic for a moment and wonders if there were that many exhausts two days ago.
"Alright, so I want you guys to go through a basic routine: Push-ups, sit ups, leg lifts and planks," Midoriya calls, walking into their group and pushing people out so that they have plenty of space. "I'll look over your form and stuff, but I want you to do what you think is a normal set and stop after the one so I can check in with you, alright?"
Eijirō frowns. It feels like the beginning of U.A. all over again… without the threat of expulsion and collapsing buildings, of course.
He does as he's asked and stop at around fifty push-ups, convinced that's roughly good for one set out of three or four. Midoriya wanders over after he finishes up with Tokoyami and Hagakure, grinning like he's a friend not their teacher.
"So Kirishima-san, how'd you manage?"
"I got about fifty!"
"Great! How do you feel about fingertip pushups?"
Eijirō tries. He really does! That does not mean he completes even one fingertip pushup. When he stands up again, Midoriya appears at his side again.
"Okay, don't worry about it. That's a pretty specific technique. Your quirk is hardening, though, so I want you to focus more on core."
What that means in "Midoriya" is "one set is one hundred sit ups". Eijirō glances over the field as number ninety sends a spike of pain through his lower stomach and winces at the number of people struggling to breathe. Bakugō, Kābā and Togata-senpai have joined in but they're doing their own thing and its… sickening.
How does someone as mild mannered as Kābā break a hundred sit ups per set?
How do people even DO sit ups that fast?! Bakugō and Togata-senpai look like they're gonna wear a trench in the ground!
"Hey, Kirishima-san, how long do you think you can hold a V…?"
"M-Midoriya, bro, I'm not really used to…"
"That's fine, we can work on it! Let's move to planks, okay?"
Eijirō frowns as Midoriya urges everyone from 1-A to hold their planks a little longer. He can't hear what the green haired boy says to everyone, but when he drops by Kirishima's spot it leaves Kirishima feeling… frazzled.
"I know your quirk is a stamina drain, Kirishima-san, but if you increase the muscle mass you've got on your core it might help increase the tensile strength of your hardening, okay? Just a little longer!"
What the fuck is he supposed to say against that?
They finally collapse, and even though it was one set they all seem more worn out than if they'd done the entire work out. Of course, the other three are still at it, and Shoji and Sato seem fine, but just about everyone else is questioning their ability to stick it out.
It hasn't even been an hour!
What the fuck?
"Alright, so I think I got to everyone. This was super helpful, guys, thanks for sticking with me!" Midoriya grins as they stare back blankly.
"Is that what you do for a workout?" Uraraka asks quietly. She's only breathing a bit heavily, not feeling the traces of ache that Eijirō feels obviously, but that's not surprising from someone as manly as Uraraka.
Midoriya's smile twitches.
"Something like that. This is how I started, so I usually try…"
"Oi, Deku! Gimme something else!" Bakugō growls. Kābā cuts off his workout to stumble to his feet and pull out his phone, which leaves Eijirō a little bit worried. No one else shares his fear, though. They're more worried about having Bakugō and Midoriya in the same place so soon after they tried to kill one another. Twice!
"You were going through fingertip pushups, right? Try handstand ones." Midoriya offers. Eijirō's eyes bug out at the offhanded comment. Bakugō huffs, then swells noticeably as he flexes his upper body underneath his tank top.
"What's your record? You haven't done shit all day. I'm tired of you throwing out directions like some kinda teacher! Fight me, you fuck!"
"Kacchan, this really isn't the time…"
"C'mon, Deku! Fight me!"
"Are you guys good for a bit?" Midoriya frowns at them, looking torn. Eijirō's eyes widen as Kābā and Togata-senpai take a place halfway between Eijirō's group and the spot where Bakugō has been doing his workout. When a series of nods free Midoriya from his teaching gig, he walks after Bakugō and casually strips off his windbreaker. At first glance he doesn't look terribly strong, but that's not surprising he's a lean…
Eijirō's eyes widen as Bakugō's arm revs up and he casually rolls into a handstand, then starts slowly doing vertical pushups. Midoriya watches the first one, then casually flips himself into a handstand with no preparation at all.
"Whenever you want, Kacchan."
"Let's fucking go!"
The pair start slowly, but Bakugō warms up quick. Eijirō stares as they reach twenty and Bakugō starts shaking some. At thirty, Bakugō's sweating like a pig but he's still not shaking dangerously.
Midoriya's still standing… er, hand standing(?) when they reach fifty and Bakugō falls over.
"Fuck!"
"That's alright, you've been focusing on weightlifting to balance your quirk, right?"
"Don't profile me you creep. Shit," Bakugō rolls his shoulders, both of them, and growls as he jumps up and down a bit. "Let's go another round."
"Not right now, Kacchan." Midoriya mutters, trudging over to where he left Eijirō and his friends. "So, do you guys follow any kind of meal plan?"
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Shōto is surprised when Uraraka and Hagakure claim to have joined Midoriya's morning routine. The girl has been on his competitive radar since the beginning, right behind Ashido and Yaoyorozu. He doesn't care that his classmates have joined this Midoriya boy for help. It makes sense logically. Fighting off the prickly sensation in his chest is relatively easy when he can bury it under a mountain of frigid, indiscriminate hate.
Normally he would simply notice this, pin it in the back of his mind and move on. Despite what his classmates think he notices plenty about them. There's a mental log of their likes, dislikes, appetites, quirks, physical tells and personalities in his brain.
He makes eye contact with Uraraka.
If it had been anyone else, on any other day, that may have been the end of it. He doesn't have time to ponder whether his loss to Midoriya or the implementation of the S-class in general is the cause before the girl is making her way towards him. She does it as if she's circling the room casually. Odds are this is some emotional buffer, because Shōto knows that Uraraka is one of the smarter people in class and he makes a point to be the best.
When she finally takes the empty chair beside him, he makes a weak attempt to leave. Her glare makes it clear that he isn't allowed to, but he leaves his chair pushed out halfway. She takes a sip of her coffee, then clears her throat and lets out a breath.
"Good morning Todoroki-kun!" Shōto raises an eyebrow. Uraraka smiles. "You won't even humor me?"
"I need to get ready for class."
"You're not ready for class today?" Uraraka tilts her head to one side. Shōto narrows his eyes. There's a trace of something in her expression. Her tone makes it clear that she isn't talking about his bookbag or his uniform, which are still waiting for him in his room.
"What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying," The girl says. "You lost to Midoriya pretty badly and now he's joining our class. Usually you're a bit chilly but you look like Bakugō this morning."
"I'm fine." Shōto says.
"Okay." Uraraka remains in her seat. If he didn't know any better, Shōto would say that her quirk was keeping him in his seat. They continue staring as she drinks her coffee.
"If you have something to say, say it." He mutters. The girl's eyes narrow momentarily before she shrugs and stands up, leaving her smile lying on the table.
"You should talk to someone," She says. He catches her fingers rolling over the back of the chair and calls it a nervous habit. "I won't bother you if you'd rather be alone."
Shōto frowns at the table as she walks away. After a minute or two he gets up and starts getting ready for class, though he has a sinking feeling that he can't be ready for what's coming.
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Momo is concerned.
Finding Midoriya in their classroom is both heartwarming and nerve wracking. She remembers all the times when he doubted his ability to keep up with the class and her constant reassurances that hard work would get him there. But his friends seem to think something is going on between them, which is completely absurd. They barely know one another! She's his tutor, and he's her… teacher?
She isn't even sure they're friends in the first place.
Bakugō coming back is strange. They know him, but he's not just a rabid dog on a chain anymore, he's a time bomb. He's only been back for one day and he's wrecked a large swath of the campus for a childhood grudge match. No one is willing to approach him but Bakugō's temper mounts a notch every time someone glances at him. More specifically at his (second) new arm.
Momo refuses to let the prosthetic draw her eye. It's rude, first of all. Dangerous when one considers the person attached. She's only been in the room for a few minutes before she decides the classroom itself is a timebomb, and Bakugō is simply a catalyst. (Very quietly, she shudders as she remembers the supernova inside Hatsume's box, the feeling of the lab shuddering under the force of Bakugō's self-destruction and the traces of blood dripping from Todoroki-kun's ears as they fled the pit.)
"The S-class is joining us for academics since we have a seat open. They'll be allocated to certain classes at Nezu, All Might and Kurobayashi's discretion. Deal with it." Aizawa-sensei calls.
With that, class begins.
Midoriya ends up sitting with his old friends during lunch. The table is packed, and Momo has her own group. A single glance and a nervous smile are the only thing they manage to share before they return to classes.
Momo met Kurobayashi-sensei two days ago. He's a kind person, and though his appearance is intimidating, his mode of speaking and the tender way he gravitates towards Eri are all Momo needs to determine the strength of his character. She's worried, as he takes the podium, that perhaps he won't be quite ready to teach at U.A. Not that she's concerned about his intelligence! Understanding the difference between heroics history and art is very different from understanding history.
Kurobayashi-sensei looks over them briefly. The majority of them won't falter under his gaze or the gleam of his exposed teeth, but some will. Momo's eyes flicker towards Midoriya, but he's sitting a few seats away and even if Tooru-chan is invisible there's not much to glean from Midoriya's back.
"You are to be heroes, yes?" Kurobayashi-sensei opens his glasses and slips them onto his nose, then looks over them again and rumbles. The podium creaks under his fingers. "U.A. is considered one of the top schools in the world. There isn't another school in Japan that comes to mind when one thinks of heroics… unless you're informed."
Momo blinks.
"Heroics is a relatively new industry. Humans are a long-lived species, and most of our industries are based on practices repeated over and over again throughout our growth. Some, like the development of technology and computers, aren't quite so old. But heroics… The usage of quirks to save others. The industry you all have chosen for your careers is only two hundred years old give or take," Kurobayashi-sensei turns and begins writing dates on the board. It takes nearly five minutes to put them all across the surface, and a line connects them before the chalk is placed into the lining with a note of finality. "When principal Nezu asked me to take over one of the periods to free up another member of the faculty, I asked what I could possibly teach you that your other teachers hadn't already grasped.
"The answer is simple. Surprisingly so. Tell me, students," Kurobayashi-sensei turns to them and blinks twice. Momo's ear barely catches an intake of breath from the seats ahead of her. "What do you know of the laws governing heroics? Yes, Iida-kun."
"Sir! The code of Heroics law is overseen by a group from the Diet known as the Hero Ethics Reticulation Administration, commonly known as HERA. All laws passed that deal in the heroics industry are seen by the National Police Force and HERA!" Iida-kun recites. Momo frowns at the clinical definition, but admittedly the laws that they've been covering in class are defined by 'what to do and why not to do anything else' situations.
"That's one way of putting it. Perhaps I should have been more specific… What do you all know about establishinghero law?" Kurobayashi-sensei blinks twice as the class stares up at him.
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It's strange to have a history period NOT taught by Midnight-sensei. Usually the dominatrix would use her whip to keep them on edge while she taught them all the reasoning behind the pomp and circumstance in the heroics industry. Momo actually enjoys those classes, moreso because of the teacher than the material. Seeing a heroine who's usually so… coded… demonstrating a deep and comprehensive understanding of the industry is satisfying.
Kurobayashi-sensei favored a blunt approach. Her hand had cramped halfway through his lecture period because she found a point in every other sentence following his introduction, and the free minutes they had after he was finished left her feeling as though he'd opened a window in her mind. She felt… lighter. Confused, and relatively uninformed about how politics, history, public opinion and military command actually flowed into what she knew as "Heroic Law", but lighter, nonetheless.
That feeling dies as Momo changes into her gym uniform to prepare for "joint heroics".
Class 1-B strike an imposing figure. Some of Momo's sister class even have their provisional licenses. They aren't nearly as worried about this 'joint heroics' thing as Momo's class are.
Momo thinks that they should be.
Bakugō, Togata-senpai and Midoriya-kun stand at the head of the pitch beside All Might, Aizawa-sensei, Blood King-sensei and Kurobayashi-sensei. She's painfully aware that the heroics students haven't had a real introduction to the Anomalies considering what happened during the ceremony a few days ago. Only Momo's class saw the fight between Midoriya, Bakugō and Todoroki.
Not that they really understand what's going on after seeing that little incident.
"Good, everyone is here!" All Might gives them a thumbs up and waves an arm at the three newcomers. "You've all already met Kurobayashi-sensei and his students, the S-Class! But you've yet to truly understand what an Anomaly is! Considering Midoriya-kun and Kurobayashi-san have the most experience with these things, I'll hand things over to them!"
Momo frowns as Midoriya's eyes close. He looks almost as if he's praying.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm here for this particular class," Kurobayashi-sensei calls. "Truthfully, I am as well… but I've been tasked with this responsibility, so I'll do what I can to explain. Formerly I was a history teacher at a relatively upscale high school here in Musutafu. My experience with Anomalies began when I sought out Midoriya-kun and did what I could to teach him proper fitness. I've been… somewhat of a witness to his growth. At Nezu's request I moved here to keep this business "in house", per se. But I am capable of being a resource to you fine young ladies and gentlemen.
"My quirk, as you can see, is 'Sharkmorph'," Kurobayashi-sensei blinks twice, then pulls at the zipper of his sweatshirt. Momo blinks at the sight of her sensei in a tank top, revealing a musculature almost as intimidating as the man's exposed jaw. "But one of my passions has always been fitness, and body building as a result. I am well studied in the field of 'quirkless fitness'. I look forward to working with you, and I hope that I can be of use here even though I am not nearly as respectable as my new colleagues."
The class claps following the man's speech, and Momo smiles as she recalls her conversation with the man a few days ago. Midoriya is smiling too, and it's so fond she has to wonder what kind of 'growth' he went through.
'Izuku wasn't always super strong. He was actually super weak like two years ago…' Hadn't Kābā told them that? Her smile wanes some at the thought, and the memory of having her creation taken.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why these three are up here," Aizawa-sensei calls, jerking his thumb towards the students standing on Kurobayashi-sensei's other side. "We've been informed that a handful of Anomalies are rising in the ranks of villains as well. Given the circumstances, these three are our best method of teaching you what you might end up dealing with. Midoriya is going to tell you what you should watch out for and demonstrate why Anomalies are dangerous."
Midoriya-kun looks small beside the rest of them. Not just physically. He doesn't want to be in front of the classes and he isn't comfortable speaking out. A single glance makes that painfully obvious, but he steps out of the lineup anyways.
"I told you before. You can't handle Anomalies. I've told Principal Nezu multiple times that any hero meeting with an Anomaly in the field needs to retreat and deal with damage suppression and evacuation," Midoriya calls, trailing off with a sigh and pulling his phone from his pocket. "Class 1-A got a couple of demonstrations already, but I guess I'll just put this all to rest right now. Monitor, can you pull up the records from my tests? The latest files, please."
"Of course, Midoriya-kun. Give me a moment to make the information available."
"You already know that I go by Deku in the field. What you don't know is that I'm quirkless, and before that incident in October I only ever responded to crimes by using a loophole involving self-defense," Midoriya says. "Two and a half years ago I was the single weakest person in my middle school, quirkless and barely able to do anything save for the barest average on a fitness exam."
"Get to the point, Deku." Bakugō cuts in.
"Kacchan over there can confirm if you need him to, though it probably won't make much sense…" Midoriya waves a hand. "Monitor?"
"Midoriya Izuku is registered as the second known Anomaly, though reports claim that he is in fact the first. Mother remains logged as Anomaly number one. Following our last test in December," The robot pauses briefly before continuing, and Midoriya makes a face at the interruption. "Subject, Midoriya Izuku managed to successfully lift 8000 kilograms of weight with one hand. Further testing was prevented by an inability to maintain material dense enough to test the subject's strength any further. Top speed was recorded at 100 meters in 2.99 nanoseconds, the fastest framerate integrated into my system. According to the subject's testimony, the camera was too slow to accurately measure his speed. His weight was finalized at 327 kilograms…"
"Alright, Monitor, I think they get it. Thank you," Midoriya cuts in suddenly, looking… violated. Embarrassed. His eyes have been running over the crowd since the machine began, and the only thing he does before he slips his phone into his pocket is to scratch the back of his head.
"How can you weight that much!? You're tiny!" Tetsutetsu cries. Nearly everybody is thinking it. Momo still feels bad asking.
"Great question," Midoriya sighs. "No one knows. I'm completely quirkless, but for some reason my muscles are way denser than normal. For what it's worth, All Might has the same problem."
Silence follows that declaration. Midoriya huffs.
"I think it's best you show them your potential, Midoriya-kun." Kurobayashi-sensei calls.
"It doesn't matter if they believe me sensei…"
"Maybe not, Midoriya-kun. But I can safely say that seeing is believing, and you cut very intimidating figure." Kurobayashi-sensei rumbles.
"I can vouch for that, Izuku-kun! I'd rather fight All Might than go toe to toe with you on a bad day!" Togata-senpai cheers. Momo frowns at the declaration and the neon blush spreading across Midoriya's face.
"Somedays I miss being a nerd," Midoriya mutters quietly.
"Shove it, Deku, you weren't even a good nerd. I had better grades than you." Bakugō scoffs. "Get on with it, dumbass, let's see this 'intimidating figure'."
"Ooh, boy," Togata-senpai chuckles and rubs a thumb across his nose as Midoriya reaches for the hem of his gym uniform. "You're gonna regret that."
Midoriya takes a breath as the shirt catches and gets yanked over his hair. He tosses it to the dirt with a scowl, then takes a deep breath and raises his fists to his side in some sort of stance.
Given a moment, Momo isn't entirely sure how Midoriya is supposed to cut an intimidating figure. All Might stands not five meters away in his hero suit, which makes a point of flattering the man's figure. Kurobayashi-sensei is right beside him, and with Blood King-sensei between them the three teachers are the single most intimidating group Momo has ever seen when thinking of raw physical power.
All Might is the single strongest person alive as far as anyone knows.
Right now, without doing anything, Midoriya looks completely normal. Maybe Momo has gotten used to seeing strong men during her time in U.A., but she doesn't think there's anything terribly extraordinary about Midoriya's abs or his arms. Sure, there's not much fat, but there isn't much of anything. Just pale skin and faint valleys between different muscle groups.
Momo's lips part as Midoriya sighs and takes his stance again. He's standing almost like a football player. Squat, ready to move, but relaxed
"Here go my last hopes of being normal…"
A faint hiss sounds as Midoriya inhales and draws out long enough that Momo's heart stutters twice in response. The skin flushes, spreading a faint red tinge from his core down along his arms. His chest widens…
Keeps widening?
Momo's eyes widen as Midoriya's entire upper body swells. His skin turns red and black as slabs and cords of muscle expand, leaving literal trenches lying between them. A ripple starts from his chest and spreads as he takes in a final mouthful of air. Faint lines of red spread across his chest, then down along his arms and trunk.
Something cracks. Midoriya frowns. A leg slides to the right.
His core looks less like a set of abs and more like armor plating. A ripple starts near his elbow as he releases his fists and spreads down his forearm within ropes of muscle. Everything in his body ripples as he stands up, revealing literal waterfalls and mountains beneath his skin.
Without any hesitation Midoriya bends over and places his hands in the dirt. Plates of muscle stand out on his back as his legs rise into the air. There's a beat when his legs reach a true vertical where he hesitates, then rises even further into the air. Momo's eyes fall from his feet and trace the canyon where his spine rests between traps and lats, putting names to nearly every muscle standing out from his shoulders.
Two fingers, one from each hand, remain between his body and the earth. He exhales as he lowers himself once, then pushes back into the air. After a minute, he lowers himself and pauses, then flips himself into the air and lands on his feet. When he shakes his hands out and looks at his palms appraisingly, he shrinks back to normal size.
By Momo's guess, he loses almost four centimeters.
"Go for the blowout, Kouhai!" Togata senpai calls. Midoriya rolls his eyes, but he smiles a bit too.
"Alright… Uh, Jirō-san, please cover your ears… actually, Yaoyorozu-san, could you make some sound proofing headphones?" Midoriya asks. Once that's done and the girl is safely hidden, Midoriya looks back at All Might and rubs the back of his head. "Sorry, All Might, but I'm gonna borrow your technique for a bit."
"Ah, no trouble, go ahead…" All Might says. Momo thinks that her sensei is a bit pale, which is… Well, there's a lot going on. Perhaps she just doesn't quite get it?
Everyone watches as Midoriya reaches up with a single hand, then puts his other hand in his pocket. He takes a moment to twist his hand, showing off a single finger tucked beneath his thumb.
"Forty percent, Midoriya-kun. Don't disrupt the airspace."
"Didn't you just tell me to show off, sensei?"
"Well well, maybe you are listening. It's about time you learned some showmanship." Kurobayashi-sensei growls. Momo frowns as she catches the man blinking from across the pitch. Something about it makes Midoriya chuckle.
"I'll only warn you all once…" Midoriya calls. "You'll want to cover your ears. Kirishima-san, Tetsutetsu-san, harden up too."
Momo does. Not many do, but Momo notices that just about everyone from 1-A does. She knows for a fact that the ones from Midoriya's little work out group are more nervous than the rest of them. For good measure, Momo forms some goggles and starts passing them out. It takes a little bit, but Midoriya seems content to wait.
"Nothing up my sleeve..." Midoriya calls. "Oi, Kacchan? How's this for a blowout?"
The world shatters. Students scream as the ground ripples, then comes apart around them. Dirt is the last of their worries. Boulder sized chucks of earth are torn from the ground, hurtling overhead. Grass and leaves join the debris, leaving streaks of brown and green in the slurry of afterimages and adrenaline flooding Momo's brain. Everything that approaches them crumbles to pieces before anyone can get hurt, but that doesn't mean they're spared nicks and scrapes. When things finally calm down, Momo finds Midoriya standing in a crater. Looking upward reveals a hole in the sky and a violent mixture of clouds that isn't natural at all.
Midoriya reaches for his shirt looking entirely too normal. Not a trace of his muscle stands out on his body but now it looks wrong for an ENTIRELY different reason. She thinksthat his shirt was lying somewhere else as she watches him pull it from underneath his foot, which can only mean he took a moment to snatch it before his display.
Kurobayashi-sensei turns to Blood King-sensei as the man taps his shoulder and continues to stare as Blood King-sensei continues tapping his shoulder. The teachers from U.A., including All Might, stare with slack jaws as Midoriya pulls on his shirt.
"Any questions?"